Grace sucked in NSSA plunder

Former President Robert Mugabe’s family has been linked to the alleged plunder of resources at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) when their nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, was Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister.

By Everson Mushava

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) investigations boss Goodson Nguni yesterday told journalists in Harare that several illicit deals that creamed off NSSA coffers were ordered by Zhuwao during his short stint as Labour minister before his uncle was ousted following a military intervention last
November.

Nguni said Zhuwao ordered fired NSSA board chair Robin Vela to fund projects linked to the former First Family’s relatives and even approached the latter long before his appointment to the ministry to seek an agreement to fund Grace Mugabe’spolitical activities.

“There is a lot of public interest in what has been going on at NSSA, and a lot of commentators have started writing stories about what they think has been happening at NSSA,” Nguni said.

“We think in the interest of an anti-corruption strategy that we have worked on here, we must let the nation know what exactly is going on at NSSA.

“Former Public Service minister, Honourable Patrick Zhuwao, sometime in 2017, asked NSSA to release money for national housing projects that had the potential of fleecing NSSA of millions of dollars.”

He added: “Circumstances are that, upon his appointment as minister, Honourable Zhuwao through the NSSA board ordered the authority to avail $78 million for national housing projects.

“Of that total, $16 million was paid to a private company without going to tender. The money was for the construction of 600 housing units on a 24-hectare piece of plot in Dzivarasekwa, Harare. The cost of the building materials for the construction of these housing units was $4,57 million with the remainder, $12 million being labour costs.

“The land in question was sold by the Local Government ministry in September 2015 and the asking price was $334 800. The offer was given to a company called Drepmesh Construction, whose directors were Junior Shuvai Gumbochuma and a Mr Katurutsa.”

He said the two did not pay for the required $1,6 million performance bond to the National Building Society (NBS) so that the funds could be released.

“The private company paid $2,2 million to Mrs Gumbochuma for the purchase of the land, whose purchase price from the ministry in August when Hon Zhuwao was now the Labour minister was $410 000,” he said.

Nguni said the transaction was approved without the relevant certificates of compliance from the Harare City Council or Surveyor-General regarding designs, water reticulation systems and subdivision permits.

The private developer, Nguni said, was supposed to submit the housing units to NBS upon completion, but that did not happen.

He added that Zhuwao also ordered NSSA to release $18 million to a project in Caledonia, fronted by a company called Housing Co-operation of Africa owned by Adam Molai, who is the son-in-law to the Mugabes.

He said the land was also purchased by NBS on behalf of the developer.

“The third project was in Mutare. It was given to a company called Globben Investments. The owners of the company had never built houses before and without going to tender, they were advanced $11 million.

“Now with the Mutare project, the bricks were to be supplied by a man called Robert Zhuwao. A sum of $2 million was advanced to him to supply two million bricks. You know who Robert Zhuwao is? He is minister Zhuwao’s younger brother.

“He has not supplied the two million bricks, but only 200 000 to date. NBS has not sued for the money they have paid to a company called Bottlelin Investments, which is owned by Robert Zhuwao.”

He added: “What is very intriguing is that the NBS is not in the business of buying land from private people and then signing contracts with these private people to build houses for them. This matter should have gone to tender. There is also an amount of $2,2 million paid by the NBS to a company called Premierlink Services.”

Nguni said the company had no history in the construction industry and neither did it even have an office and when asked why they paid the money, NBS claimed it released the money so that the company could hold on to it and buy anything that it required for the project.

Nguni also claimed that the Local Government ministry approved the Dzivarasekwa lease not to Gumbochuma, but Drepmesh, but in October 2017, Zhuwao ordered some senior officers to write a letter that the land had been given to Gumbochuma so that she could use it to negotiate with other private companies.

He said the $78 million Zhuwao ordered to be released without a NSSA board resolution and the remaining $15 million was causing a lot of problems for the building society.

Kuita Zimbabwe property yavo. Vakomana! …and Zhuao of all the people now wants to lecture us on constitutionalism. Unashamed and unrepentant.Given the scale of corruption its going to be difficult to recover. Grace should be tried in COURT.This Marie Antoinette of Zim should face the guillotine and her husband too. Withdraw the retirement package from Mugabe right away. They looted enough to see them through. At times i feel hopeless and pessimistic about Zim esp what Mugabe did to this country. Arrest Grace i repeat!

NSSA’s rot continues only recently there was repotage of them releasing $66,000 for a world disability day celebrations in Caledonia where only $3000 worthy of wheel chairs were donated to the disablled. The rest was blown-away including $7000 paid to Jah P. Contributions to NSSA by employers & employees must be discontinued forthwith wrong people are benefiting

NSSA funds are workers’ funds. The serious fraud squad must now move in and get to the core of the matter.These two Mozambicans Patrick and Robert should face the music. Grace must also be made to account for her part in the loot. All the funds should be recovered from the culprits concerned. It is high time all those illegal deals that happened during the Mugabe era of patronage are investigated and beneficiaries brought to book

Aaa Mrs Gumbochuma is Grace sister. Adam Molai Mugabe son in law, it means Grace instigated most of the corrupt deals for the benefit of her family and Mugabes nephews. Patrick Zhuwawo is a real candidate for Chikurubi.Nguni tell us more even some tenders which the Mugabe family got using crooked names of companies.

If the authorities do not act on this, public justice should be metted out against these Gumbochumas, Zhuwawos that flaunt their stolen wealth in upmarket bars, Mugabes etc. We can start with car punctures, lynching them etc etc

This is corruption at its highest level .Corruption is how business is done in Zimbabwe.Nssa is misusing the funds of the workers .When will this stop. Zvakaoma veduweee. Workers are being paid peanuts whilst some body gets into office within a month millions are stolen .

Cry the Beloved country BUT WHY OOHH WHY, and all the more the Ediot claims he has when his political father still rests pretty kublue house after looting from our grannys and sekurus pensions.SAKA VAROMBO ndisu tega tosungwa ka.

Cry the Beloved country BUT WHY OOHH WHY, and all the more the Ediot claims he values justice and equality when his political father still rests pretty kublue house after looting from our grannys and sekurus pensions.

that is a good exposition but bad timing considering the fact that the current minister is the one who has just looted 66000 for the so called fundraising thing. why not delay the story to after elections maybe then there will be a more responsible someone. These guys in the “new dispensation” and the so called old are the same vanotoseka vachiona nyaya dzakadai kuti 78 million imari here they have seen bigger amounts

The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, which is a Chapter 12 Independent Commission with the mandate to foster national healing in Zimbabwe, needs to have it’s 10-year mandate reinstated if it is to fulfil its Constitutional mandate. ...